Listed below are key concepts/topics from the multiple-choice section of the 1994, 1999, 2002 & 2009 AP exams.
1. 14th Amendment
2. Amending the Constitution
3. American with Disabilities Act
4. amicus curiae briefs
5. Articles of Confederation vs. Constitution
6. Block grants and federalism
7. Brown vs. Board of Education
8. Candidate centered campaigns
9. Categorical grants in aid
10. Chart/graph reading and interpretation
11. Checks & balances.
12. Civil Rights Act of 1964
13. Civil rights of the 1950s
14. Clear and present danger
15. Cloture motion (Senate)
16. Commerce clause
17. Committee chair power
18. Common criteria when voting for presidential candidates
19. Common political activities of citizens
20. Conference committee
21. Congressional Committee system
22. Congressional Incumbency advantage
23. congressional oversight (example)
24. Congressional oversight of bureaucracy
25. Congressional power
26. Congressional response to Supreme Court ruling.
27. Congressional standing committees
28. Constituent service communication
29. Constitution-govt. authority divided across political institutions
30. Cooperative federalism
31. Core value of US political culture
32. Creating new federal courts
33. Critical elections
34. Death penalty rulings
35. Delegates to major party conventions
36. Demographics of delegates to presidential nomination conventions.
37. Demographics of Democratic voters
38. Devolution
39. Difference between political parties and interest groups
40. Differences between House and Senate
41. Direct primaries vs. convention system
42. District court vs. appellate court
43. Divided government consequences – confirmation delays
44. Divided party control of presidency & congress
45. Doctrine of original intent
46. Drawing congressional districts
47. Electoral behavior in the US
48. Electoral college
49. Elite & pluralist theories of politics
50. Entitlement spending
51. Establishment clause
52. Exclusionary rule
53. Executive agreement
54. Federal Budget entitlements (entitlement spending)
55. Federal election laws
56. Federal govt does not regulate negative advertising
57. Federal Grants-in-Aid
58. Federal judge nominees
59. Federal judges
60. Federal system of government
61. Federalism
62. Federalist No. 10
63. First Amendment
64. Fiscal federalism & cooperative federalism
65. Foreign policy deference
66. Fourteenth Amendment
67. Framer’s creation of legislative branch
68. Framer’s view of primary functions of government.
69. Framer's intent of economic powers
70. Franking privilege
71. Free exercise clause
72. Free Speech & assembly
73. Freedom of Information Act
74. Gerrymandering
75. Giswold v. Connecticut & Roe v. Wade
76. Gitlow v. NY & NY Times v. Sullivan
77. Group voting tendencies
78. Horse-race journalism
79. House & Senate differences in legislative process
80. House of Representatives elections
81. How do lobbyists try to influence legislators?
82. Impeachment process
83. Incorporation doctrine (selective incorporation)
84. Incumbency reelection rate
85. Independent regulatory agencies & separation of powers.
86. Individual senators have great influence over legislative process
87. Influence of news media on public opinion
88. Influence on voters in presidential election
89. Influences on Republican Party Platform
90. Interest group activities
91. Interest group coalition building
92. Interest groups & political party roles.
93. Interest groups greatest influence
94. Iron triangles
95. Judicial restraint
96. Judicial Review – Marbury v. Madison
97. Lasting influence of Supreme Court appointments
98. Latino vote
99. Leading predictor of how people vote
100. Legislative branch & Executive Branch checks and balances
101. Legislative oversight
102. Legislative process
103. Legislative veto
104. Liberals & conservatives
105. Line item veto
106. Main debate between Federalists & Anti-Federalists
107. Main reason for two major political parties in US
108. Make-up of Congress (race, gender)
109. McCulloch v. Maryland
110. Media political coverage of presidential campaigns
111. Miranda v. Arizona
112. Motor Voter law
113. News media ownership concentration
114. Office of Management & Budget
115. Open vs. closed primary
116. PACs
117. Partisanship & voting
118. Party identification & voting behavior
119. Persistence of two-party system
120. Plea bargaining
121. Plessy v. Ferguson
122. Plurality election
123. Plurality vote results in presidential elections
124. Pocket veto
125. Political Action Committees (PACs)
126. Political efficacy
127. Political factions (Federalist Papers)
128. Political parties - voter identification
129. Political parties not in Constitution
130. Political socialization
131. Pork barrel legislation
132. Power of federal bureaucracy
133. Power of the federal courts
134. President impounding funds
135. Presidential approval ratings
136. Presidential cabinet
137. Presidential influence of Congress
138. Presidential influence on federal judiciary
139. Presidential nominating process
140. Presidential powers
141. Presidential roles authorized by the Constitution
142. Presidential use of inherent powers
143. Presidential Veto
144. Primary elections
145. Primary formal role of the attorney general
146. Protection of legal rights for women
147. Public financing of elections
148. Reasons for low voter turnout
149. Reserved powers of state governments
150. Results of appealing case to Supreme Court
151. Revenue bill originate in which body?
152. Rise of interest groups
153. Roe v. Wade
154. Rule & Procedures of House & Senate
155. Rule of Four
156. Rules Committee
157. Selecting a vice-president
158. Selection of Supreme Court caseload
159. Selective incorporation (incorporation doctrine)
160. Senate confirmation process
161. Separation of church and state
162. Shay's Rebellion
163. Single-member plurality districts
164. Speaker of the House
165. Split ticket
166. Stare decisis
167. Supreme Court Caseload
168. Supreme Court interpretation of free speech
169. Supreme Court Justice tenure
170. Supreme Court justices background
171. Supreme Court nomination process
172. Targets of lobbying
173. Tenth Amendment
174. Trends in Presidential Elections in the 1980s
175. Trust in government over time
176. Two major political party organization
177. Uncontrollable spending in federal budget
178. Unfunded mandates
179. Use of executive orders
180. Voter demographics in presidential primary elections
181. Voter turnout rate
182. Voting behavior
183. Voting by 18-21 year olds
184. Voting eligibility decided by states
185. Voting patterns
186. Voting Rights Act of 1965
187. War Powers Resolution
188. Warren Court
189. Ways and Means Committee
190. What happens if no candidate earns majority of Electoral College vote?
191. White House staff
192. Who do voters directly elect?
193. Writs of certiorari
Listed below are key concepts/topics from the multiple-choice section of the 1994, 1999, 2002 & 2009 AP exams.
1. 14th Amendment
2. Amending the Constitution
3. American with Disabilities Act
4. amicus curiae briefs
5. Articles of Confederation vs. Constitution
6. Block grants and federalism
7. Brown vs. Board of Education
8. Candidate centered campaigns
9. Categorical grants in aid
10. Chart/graph reading and interpretation
11. Checks & balances.
12. Civil Rights Act of 1964
13. Civil rights of the 1950s
14. Clear and present danger
15. Cloture motion (Senate)
16. Commerce clause
17. Committee chair power
18. Common criteria when voting for presidential candidates
19. Common political activities of citizens
20. Conference committee
21. Congressional Committee system
22. Congressional Incumbency advantage
23. congressional oversight (example)
24. Congressional oversight of bureaucracy
25. Congressional power
26. Congressional response to Supreme Court ruling.
27. Congressional standing committees
28. Constituent service communication
29. Constitution-govt. authority divided across political institutions
30. Cooperative federalism
31. Core value of US political culture
32. Creating new federal courts
33. Critical elections
34. Death penalty rulings
35. Delegates to major party conventions
36. Demographics of delegates to presidential nomination conventions.
37. Demographics of Democratic voters
38. Devolution
39. Difference between political parties and interest groups
40. Differences between House and Senate
41. Direct primaries vs. convention system
42. District court vs. appellate court
43. Divided government consequences – confirmation delays
44. Divided party control of presidency & congress
45. Doctrine of original intent
46. Drawing congressional districts
47. Electoral behavior in the US
48. Electoral college
49. Elite & pluralist theories of politics
50. Entitlement spending
51. Establishment clause
52. Exclusionary rule
53. Executive agreement
54. Federal Budget entitlements (entitlement spending)
55. Federal election laws
56. Federal govt does not regulate negative advertising
57. Federal Grants-in-Aid
58. Federal judge nominees
59. Federal judges
60. Federal system of government
61. Federalism
62. Federalist No. 10
63. First Amendment
64. Fiscal federalism & cooperative federalism
65. Foreign policy deference
66. Fourteenth Amendment
67. Framer’s creation of legislative branch
68. Framer’s view of primary functions of government.
69. Framer's intent of economic powers
70. Franking privilege
71. Free exercise clause
72. Free Speech & assembly
73. Freedom of Information Act
74. Gerrymandering
75. Giswold v. Connecticut & Roe v. Wade
76. Gitlow v. NY & NY Times v. Sullivan
77. Group voting tendencies
78. Horse-race journalism
79. House & Senate differences in legislative process
80. House of Representatives elections
81. How do lobbyists try to influence legislators?
82. Impeachment process
83. Incorporation doctrine (selective incorporation)
84. Incumbency reelection rate
85. Independent regulatory agencies & separation of powers.
86. Individual senators have great influence over legislative process
87. Influence of news media on public opinion
88. Influence on voters in presidential election
89. Influences on Republican Party Platform
90. Interest group activities
91. Interest group coalition building
92. Interest groups & political party roles.
93. Interest groups greatest influence
94. Iron triangles
95. Judicial restraint
96. Judicial Review – Marbury v. Madison
97. Lasting influence of Supreme Court appointments
98. Latino vote
99. Leading predictor of how people vote
100. Legislative branch & Executive Branch checks and balances
101. Legislative oversight
102. Legislative process
103. Legislative veto
104. Liberals & conservatives
105. Line item veto
106. Main debate between Federalists & Anti-Federalists
107. Main reason for two major political parties in US
108. Make-up of Congress (race, gender)
109. McCulloch v. Maryland
110. Media political coverage of presidential campaigns
111. Miranda v. Arizona
112. Motor Voter law
113. News media ownership concentration
114. Office of Management & Budget
115. Open vs. closed primary
116. PACs
117. Partisanship & voting
118. Party identification & voting behavior
119. Persistence of two-party system
120. Plea bargaining
121. Plessy v. Ferguson
122. Plurality election
123. Plurality vote results in presidential elections
124. Pocket veto
125. Political Action Committees (PACs)
126. Political efficacy
127. Political factions (Federalist Papers)
128. Political parties - voter identification
129. Political parties not in Constitution
130. Political socialization
131. Pork barrel legislation
132. Power of federal bureaucracy
133. Power of the federal courts
134. President impounding funds
135. Presidential approval ratings
136. Presidential cabinet
137. Presidential influence of Congress
138. Presidential influence on federal judiciary
139. Presidential nominating process
140. Presidential powers
141. Presidential roles authorized by the Constitution
142. Presidential use of inherent powers
143. Presidential Veto
144. Primary elections
145. Primary formal role of the attorney general
146. Protection of legal rights for women
147. Public financing of elections
148. Reasons for low voter turnout
149. Reserved powers of state governments
150. Results of appealing case to Supreme Court
151. Revenue bill originate in which body?
152. Rise of interest groups
153. Roe v. Wade
154. Rule & Procedures of House & Senate
155. Rule of Four
156. Rules Committee
157. Selecting a vice-president
158. Selection of Supreme Court caseload
159. Selective incorporation (incorporation doctrine)
160. Senate confirmation process
161. Separation of church and state
162. Shay's Rebellion
163. Single-member plurality districts
164. Speaker of the House
165. Split ticket
166. Stare decisis
167. Supreme Court Caseload
168. Supreme Court interpretation of free speech
169. Supreme Court Justice tenure
170. Supreme Court justices background
171. Supreme Court nomination process
172. Targets of lobbying
173. Tenth Amendment
174. Trends in Presidential Elections in the 1980s
175. Trust in government over time
176. Two major political party organization
177. Uncontrollable spending in federal budget
178. Unfunded mandates
179. Use of executive orders
180. Voter demographics in presidential primary elections
181. Voter turnout rate
182. Voting behavior
183. Voting by 18-21 year olds
184. Voting eligibility decided by states
185. Voting patterns
186. Voting Rights Act of 1965
187. War Powers Resolution
188. Warren Court
189. Ways and Means Committee
190. What happens if no candidate earns majority of Electoral College vote?
191. White House staff
192. Who do voters directly elect?
193. Writs of certiorari